Art Briles has file suit against Baylor officials- libel, slander & conspiracy

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Former Baylor football coach Art Briles sued three school regents and a vice president for libel and slander Thursday, accusing them of falsely stating he knew of reported assaults and alleged gang rapes by players and didn't report them.

The lawsuit also asserts that Baylor officials conspired to damage his reputation and keep him from getting another coaching job. It also seeks damages for emotional distress and likely ending his career as a coach "on any level." "Some people think themselves above the law, but the laws of Texas establish accountability for everyone, even renegade, self-dealing regents of a Christian university," Briles' lawsuit states.

The lawsuit was filed in Llano County in central Texas. It names Baylor regents Chairman Ronald Murff, board members J. Cary Gray and David Harper, and Baylor Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Reagan Ramsower. Briles' attorney, Ernest Cannon, and Baylor officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from ESPN. "I'd like to hear these regents and Mr. Ramsower tell their story under oath in broad daylight and open court,'' Cannon told The Associated Press. Briles was fired last May after an investigation determined Baylor mishandled reports of alleged sexual and physical assaults, some by football players.
The lawsuit accuses the regents and Ramsower of spreading false information through media interviews with Texas and national outlets on the advice of a recently hired media relations firm, G.F. Bunting + Co., which was not named as a defendant.

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